NEWARK _ A woman jumped from the Mowry Avenue overpass onto the I-880 freeway early this morning despite a desperate attempt by Newark police officers to stop her. She survived but is in extremely grave condition, a Newark police officer said.

The attempted suicide caused a massive traffic backup on southbound I-880, which took hours to clear, the CHP said.

Newark police were called to the overpass at 5:09 a.m., where they found a woman standing outside the protective fence on the narrow ledge overlooking the freeway.

While officers tried to convince her not to jump, Newark police with the help of the California Highway Patrol managed to shut down traffic in the southbound lanes.

Up on the overpass, the woman finally said, “Third time is the charm” and stepped off the ledge.

As she started to fall officers reached through the fence and grabbed her clothing, but the clothing ripped off and she fell to the roadbed below.
Police and firefighter emergency workers from Newark and Fremont found her conscious and breathing. The woman was taken to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, where she is in grave condition.

Newark Police Lt. Tom Milner said the officers who got hold of her clothing were very frustrated that they failed. “They just didn’t have the time to get a good hold,” he said.

The Newark police ask anyone who might know the circumstances of the suicide attempt to contact Newark Police, 510-790-7237. Information can be left anonymously on the “silent witness” hotline at 510-793-1400, ext. 334.